Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1887-01-01
THE SOUL ON TRIAL.
..oN TRIAL

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He said: Standing in 4 court room
you say to yourself: 'At this bar
crime has often been arraigned; AZ this
witness stand the oath has often been
taken; at this jurors bench the verdict
has been rendered; at this Judges desk
sentence has been pronounced. But
| have 20 tell you to-day of a trial
higher than any oyer and terminer, or
circuit, or supreme, or chancery. III IS
the trial of every Christian man for the
life of his soul. This trial is different
from any other in the fact that it is
both civil and criminal. The issues at
stake are tremendous, and | shall in
my sermon show you, first, what are
the grounds of complaint; then who
are the witnesses in the cause, and
lastly, who are the advocates.
When a trial is called on, the first
thing is TO have the Indictment read.
Stand up then, O, Christian man, and
hear the indictment Of the court Of high
heaven against thy soul! It's
AN INDICTMENT OF TEN COUNTS,
for thou hast directly or indirectly
broken All the ten commandments.
You know how il Numbered on Sinai,
and when COD came down how the
mountain rocked, and The smoke as
ccndcd as from o smouIlcring fur
mace, and the darkness gathered thick.
and the loud, deep trumpet uttered the
words: ''The soul that sinneth, it
shall dic.' Are You guilty or not
guilty? DO not put in negative plea
too quick. for have to that
'.all have siaued and come short Of the
glory OF Ge3. There is none that docth
good; no, Rot one. Whosoyer shall
keap the whole law, yet offend in one
point, he is guilty Of ALL" DO not,
therefore, be too hasty in ~pronouucing
yourself not gully.
This lSwsuit before us also charges
you with the breaking Of a solemn
contract. NAM % me did we prom
ise 10 be the Lords. We got down IN
cur knees and said: 80 Lord, J, am
Thine new and forever" Did YOU
keep the promise? Have you stood
up 10 the contract | 90 back TO your
first communion Ysu remember it 80
we'll SO il it were yesterday. You
know COW tke vision OF the cross rose
before YOU. You remember how from
the keae, and tho hands, and
the side. and the feet, there came
LlrsSing forth these two words: Re
mcusacr sac You recall how the cup
Of cenmuxion trembled in your hand
vixen YOU frat took il; and Us in r sea
shell you may hear, or think you
hear, the roaring OF the surf even af-
ter the shell has been taken from the
beach, SO you lifted the cup OF COM
muaion, sHd You heard in ii the surg
ing Of the great ocean of a Sayiour's
2gosy; and you come forth from that
coRMuni0n service with face shining
as though you had been on the Mount
Of TRANSPORTATION; and the very Dir
seemed treIrlous with the love Of Je-
sus, and TIE woods, and the leaves, and
tke grass, and the birds were brighter
aud swecter-yo;ced than ever before,
and you said down in the very depths
OF vour soul: Lord, Thou kRowsst
all things; Thou knowest that ! love
Thee" Have you kept the bargain,
O Christian s.u? Have you not
sometimes faltcred when you ought to
have been true? Have you not been
proud vixen you ought to have been
humble? HAYS you not played the
coward when You ought TO have been
the here? I charge it upon yen, snd
| charge It upoa myself
WE HAVE BROKEN THE CONTRACT.
Still further this lawsuit claims dam.
ages at your hands. The greatest
SANDER on tse Christian religion is an
inconsistent professor. The Bible says
religion is one thing; we by our in
consistency say religion is some Other
thing and what is more deplorablC
about it is. thal people cam see fault:
in others willie they cannot see any il
themselves.
Ir you shall at any time find som
miserable old gossip, with imperfec
tions from the crown of her head tC
the sole of her foot, a perfect blotch O
sin herself, she will 90 tattling, tat
Ting. tattling all the years of her life
about the Inconsistencies Of others
having no idea that she is inconsistent
herself. God save the world from the
gossip. female and male! think th'
males are the worst. Now the chario
of Christ's salvation goes on through
the world; but ii is our nconsistencie
my brethren, that block up the wheels
while all along the line there ought Il
have been east nothing but pain
branches, and the shout should hav'
been lifted: ''Hosanna to the son o
David"
Now YOU have heard the indictmcn
read. Are YOU resdy to plead
CIL OR NOT GUILTY?
Perhaps you are not ready yet t
plead. Then the trial will GO on
The witnesses will be called, and W
shall have the matter decided. In tn
name of God ! now make proclama
ton: "Oye2, Oyez! Oyer. Whose
ever hath anything TO offer in this tria
in which God is the plaintiff and tn
Christian sonl the defendant. let hir
now step forth and give testimony !
this solemn trial"
The first witness that ! call upon tn
stand in behalf of the prosecution.
II z.-,I A~1 yr~o -